Fleurieu Distillery: Goolwa Whisky, Coastal Casks and Visitor Guide
Fleurieu makes whisky in a former railway goods shed at Goolwa Wharf, bringing brewing experience to a setting shaped by river traffic and railways. Angela and Gareth Andrews began with the Steam Exchange Brewery before turning their attention to malt spirit. Their whisky story now includes carefully assembled cask combinations, peated releases and collaborations, with a tasting room inside the working distillery.
Information checked on 27 October 2026.
Fleurieu’s Goolwa Wharf setting, photographed from across the water. Producer photograph.
At a glance
At a glance | Fleurieu Distillery |
|---|---|
Country and region | Australia; Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia |
Location | Goolwa Wharf Precinct, Cutting Road, Goolwa 5214 |
Founders | Angela and Gareth Andrews |
Brewing foundation | Steam Exchange Brewery, 2004 |
Whisky project / first spirit | 2011 / 2013 |
Principal whisky style | Australian single malt; some separately labelled collaborations |
Setting | Historic railway goods shed beside the river |
Visitor access | Tasting room and trays; check seasonal and hot-weather updates |
In this guide
AI summary: key points
The brewery began in 2004, the whisky project in 2011, and the first still and spirit followed in 2013.
The range includes Fleurieu single malts and separately identified collaborations. Country to Coast #6 combines whisky from Fleurieu and Black Gate.
Visitors can try tasting trays at Goolwa Wharf. Check current opening details and extreme-heat updates before travelling.
Summarise this guide with AI
From Steam Exchange brewing to whisky
Angela and Gareth Andrews established the Steam Exchange Brewery in 2004. The producer dates the decision to develop Fleurieu Distillery to 2011, followed by commissioning the first still and laying down spirit in 2013. Those are different milestones: the whisky did not begin with the brewery’s opening.
In a published interview, the founders described making their whisky in-house from grain to bottle. Brewing supplied practical experience with malt and fermentation, while maturation brought a much longer timetable. The family dimension remains visible in the bottle names, including the Matriarch Series honouring women in Gareth’s family.
A river-port home on the Fleurieu Peninsula
The distillery stands in the Goolwa Wharf Precinct on Cutting Road. Its railway goods shed places the stills and casks within the town’s transport heritage, near the river, paddle steamer and railway activity. The setting is part of the visit as well as the backdrop to the whisky.
Gareth has described Goolwa as cooler and more humid than Adelaide and considers that coastal environment important to maturation. That is the maker’s interpretation of his own casks. It is more useful to explore the individual whiskies than to assume that proximity to water produces one guaranteed flavour.
Malt, seasons and the use of wood
Fleurieu’s grain-to-bottle approach connects its brewing knowledge with distillation and maturation on site. Peated releases show that the malt itself also changes the character: Mary Ann, for example, uses peated malt supplied by Crisp in the UK. That provenance should not be generalised to every Fleurieu bottling.
The uninsulated goods shed shapes the working calendar. The producer explains that distilling follows the cooler season, with emptied casks sometimes waiting through summer before refilling. It developed a fortified grape liquid to keep those casks hydrated. This eventually became The Fifth Element, an unusual separate spirit whose whisky-cask connection does not make it whisky.
Single malts and collaborations in the range
Albatross is described by the producer as a continuous release, while named batches provide other ways into the range. Tapestry brings bourbon barrels together with Apera barriques. Mary Ann offers a more concentrated, peated direction. These are different recipes and releases, rather than a single house whisky presented at several strengths.
Country to Coast #6 needs its own category. It marries peated single malts from Fleurieu and Black Gate, making it a two-distillery blended malt. The producer’s shop also lists other spirits beside the whisky, so a collection heading alone is not enough to identify what is inside a bottle.
Fleurieu Tapestry 45.2% (700ml) Fleurieu Mary Ann 58.5% (700ml) Country to Coast #6 46% (700ml)
The tasting descriptions below paraphrase the producer’s notes. They are not Whisky Clan tasting scores.
Fleurieu Tapestry 45.2% (700ml)
Style: Australian single malt whisky
Age: No numerical age statement confirmed.
Strength: 45.2% ABV
Cask or maturation: Bourbon barrels married with Apera barriques.
The producer specifies 850 individually numbered bottles. Check remaining stock with the seller.
Nose: Producer notes suggest walnut and polished wood, then florals and sweet oak spice.
Palate: The producer emphasises malt supported by American bourbon-cask oak.
Fleurieu Mary Ann 58.5% (700ml)
Style: Australian peated single malt whisky
Age: No numerical age statement confirmed.
Strength: 58.5% ABV; cask strength
Cask or maturation: Matriarch Series: 225-litre casks. Previous contents are not specified.
A 270-bottle release, made with peated malt from Crisp in the UK and distilled, matured and bottled at Fleurieu.
Nose: Producer notes: delicate floral smoke.
Palate: Producer notes: barley sweetness and a little iodine.
Finish: Producer notes: lingering malt and peat.
Country to Coast #6 46% (700ml)
Style: Australian blended malt whisky; Fleurieu and Black Gate
Age: No numerical age statement confirmed.
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask or maturation: Second-fill bourbon and Apera casks.
A 300-bottle collaboration combining peated single malts from two distilleries.
Nose: Producer notes: sweet smoke with an iodine edge.
Palate: Producer notes: balanced malt and peat.
Finish: Producer notes: lingering barley and iodine.
Awards and the importance of the exact release
Fleurieu won Best Distiller at the 2023 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards for Don Quixote and Tapestry. Don Quixote separately received Best Whisky and the Premier’s Spirit Award. Keeping those names attached to their awards avoids treating every bottle as the same trophy winner.
More recently, Melbourne Royal named Tapestry Best Australian Single Malt Whisky in its 2026 results. The same competition awarded Best Blended Malt Whisky to Bird, credited to Bird in Hand and Fleurieu. That collaboration is distinct from Country to Coast. The bottle selection below records particular editions and outturns, without promising continuing availability.
Planning a tasting at Goolwa Wharf
The producer welcomes visitors for tasting trays served within the distillery. This is a practical way to compare the single malts and ask which current releases are available. The official visitor information describes the tasting-room experience; a standard scheduled production tour should not be assumed.
Check the current opening notice shortly before visiting. The website publishes seasonal details and warns that the heritage shed has no cooling, so temperatures of 35°C or above can lead to closure. The producer posts weather-related updates through its social channels. Leave time to enjoy the surrounding wharf precinct as part of the trip.
Other Australian whisky distilleries
These guides are suggestions for further reading. Check locations, travel distances and current bookings when planning a visit.
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Frequently asked questions
When did Fleurieu start making whisky?
The project began in 2011, and the first still was commissioned and spirit laid down in 2013. The earlier 2004 date belongs to the brewery.
Who founded Fleurieu?
Angela and Gareth Andrews developed Fleurieu from their Steam Exchange Brewery. Their family history also appears in the Matriarch Series.
Is Country to Coast #6 a Fleurieu single malt?
It combines peated single malts from Fleurieu and Black Gate. The finished collaboration is a blended malt from two distilleries.
Is The Fifth Element whisky?
No. It is a fortified grape spirit developed through the care of whisky casks. Its cask influence does not change that classification.
Can I visit the distillery?
Yes, the Goolwa Wharf tasting room offers trays in the working distillery. Check current opening information and hot-weather notices before setting out.
Sources and image credits
View sources and image credits
Featured image: The Fleurieu Distillery.
Fleurieu Tapestry 45.2% (700ml) image: The Fleurieu Distillery.
Fleurieu Mary Ann 58.5% (700ml) image: The Fleurieu Distillery.
Country to Coast #6 46% (700ml) image: The Fleurieu Distillery.
Research checked on 27 October 2026. Tour arrangements, releases and availability can change.
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